I couldn’t be happier this weekend! I have made some changes over the past month that have really made a difference in my life. You see, many weekends I have spent lying on the couch, exhausted from the week that just ended. But this Friday and Saturday were filled with SO many things and I still have one more day to go!

Last night I agreed to an impromptu late night bar outing with Luisa. She was feeling the itch to go play and I agreed to play along. We hit up the Bar Car (or Car Bar, whichever way you want to say it) for some late night tunes by DJ Rockstar Aaron. Luisa was sick a couple weeks ago when she returned from her recent trip, so I finally got to finally hear about her latest vacation to Jamaica and see all the fun pictures. There was something about our conversations that made me miss our old school fun times together, it was perfect evening.

And since my original Friday night plans had changed, I decided to pick them up this morning. I started off the day with a three part movie marathon from Red Box.

While I was on the third movie I thought I would start the beginning of my “spa” day. My skin is super sensitive which means shaving can leave my skin in a horrible state, so waxing is actually a better option for me. I placed a towel in the living room floor so I can watch the movie and I started to wax my legs with an at home waxing kit. What I learned this time around: I don’t have the patience or attention span to finish a whole leg. I made it through one lower leg and gave up. Next time, I will get them professionally done but on a positive note – I do have the smoothest legs right now!

Afterwards I was so tired of being so still and stagnant, I popped in my exercise DVD’s. I love Beachbody products! My favorite is Slim in 6 – I used this DVD set about 10 years ago and just recently bought the newest set. I can’t remember the last time I felt that good after working out.

After exfoliating my entire body and (shaving the remaining parts of my legs) off to the nail salon I went. Pedicures are a rarity in my life. Ever since I was sent to the ER for an infected toe I do my own pedicures, but there is something about the whole experience that is truly rewarding and relaxing. I blame my cousins for turning me on to such a girly activity.

While I was there, I also decided to pamper myself to a hot stone massage. My last chiropractor appointment left me in tears, mainly because my poor muscles were knotted and tight. It wasn’t the 90 minute deep tissue that I needed, but it was perfect for a day like today.

Oh! And I almost forgot – I purchased my first Apple product! I splurged on an Apple iPad! I bought it directly from them so I do have to wait a little but I am happy as I got it engraved, I never would sell any of my electronics so it isn’t something that I worry about. It will be a nice surprise in a few weeks. What’s funny is that my brother Randy and I have been talking about getting the new iPad before it came out and I was the one who hesitated until now to buy it, but my mother who just recently started thinking about a tablet just bought her’s on a whim last night. That’s right, she gets to play with hers long before mine ever arrives!

I started to finish this post at 9pm by saying “I didn’t go downtown and participate in the drunken debacle known as St. Patties Day” but I have just been ambushed by text messages from friends that I haven’t seen in a while so I am now on my way out the door! At least I can say I accomplished things (including making dinner, washing and cleaning out the car and filling the last of my prescriptions). I took a well deserved day off filled with many things that made me happy. I am looking forward to what tomorrow holds also knowing that I don’t have school at all next week! But right now I must get dressed and get out the door for this evenings festivities! Cheers to a fantastic spring break!

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month!

Endometriosis (Endo) affects at least 6.3 million women and girls in the U.S. but didn’t start being diagnosed until the 1980s, which is why it is important to get the word out there on this disease.

On my journey to find bloggers I could connect with, I found many writing about their Endo but I also found an ongoing theme. They were usually married and trying to have children which is how they found out about their disease, but what I disliked most – their stories weren’t ones of encouragement but instead whiny pity parties and “poor me” attitudes yet the minute that they got pregnant, they abandoned their blogs.

My situation is a little different and for those of you who have been following for the past five years, you have only been given a glimpse inside. So if you want to hear my story, continue reading below but before we start, just so you have an idea of what I’m talking about, here is a detailed description from the Endometriosis Association

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like that which lines the uterus (tissue called the endometrium) is found outside the uterus — usually in the abdomen on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and ligaments that support the uterus; the area between the vagina and rectum; the outer surface of the uterus; and the lining of the pelvic cavity. Other sites for these endometrial growths may include the bladder, bowel, vagina, cervix, vulva, and in abdominal surgical scars. Less commonly they are found in the lung, arm, thigh, and other locations.

This misplaced tissue develops into growths or lesions which respond to the menstrual cycle in the same way that the tissue of the uterine lining does: each month the tissue builds up, breaks down, and sheds. Menstrual blood flows from the uterus and out of the body through the vagina, but the blood and tissue shed from endometrial growths has no way of leaving the body. This results in internal bleeding, breakdown of the blood and tissue from the lesions, and inflammation — and can cause pain, infertility, scar tissue formation, adhesions, and bowel problems.

I guess you can say I am lucky. My mother was diagnosed with Endometriosis before I was born so I had someone close to me who had experienced it firsthand; the symptoms, the pain and the hormone changes that seemed to throw your entire body out of whack. My first period came at 11 years old but unlike my classmates, I couldn’t wear just a pad, mine was so heavy that I had to wear a tampon and pad just to get through the 1.5hr classes and would sit in fear through classes hoping for no accidents.

As the years passed the pain that came each month started to get worse and worse. My favorite item became a hot pad made from an old pair of sweats cut into shorts, filled with rice and sown shut. It fit my abdomen and the weight plus the heat was the perfect combination. I can still remember my first trip to the ER for the pain. I was 16, curled up into a ball lying on a bench made up of two chairs at work, waiting for my father to pick me up. When first arriving, the doctors believed that my ovary had become twisted but after multiple tests and ultrasounds, they found nothing and believed it was caused by my ovary releasing an egg. A tiny microscopic egg that caused me to go to the emergency room was just the beginning.

My diagnosis didn’t come until 4 years later when I was tired of the pain. The problem was there was no way to diagnose Endo without cutting you open. So a few months before my 21st birthday, I scheduled my laparoscopy with the hope of getting some answers. To break it down, they poke a hole through your belly button and another above your pelvic bone and inflate your abdominal cavity with gas. I still have photos from the surgery, when they made a third hole over my ovary, hanging on my refrigerator. It was nice to finally have an answer to what was causing all the trouble. They had found endometrium (tissue normally found on the inside wall of the uterus) on my right ovary and fallopian tubes. What soon followed was 9 months of the Lupron Depot shot (a controversial supplemental hormone) that caused me to go through menopause in order to break down the rest of the tissue living on the outside of my uterus.

I did another round of Lupron Depot about 7 years after the diagnosis when the pain got too intense. My doctor and I monitor my body and issues that arise. Like the time that I had my period for 6 months strait. Yes, you heard me correctly. Along with the normal issues, my Endo causes problems like hormone influxes. Besides using menopause as a way to control the tissue growth, I also take birth control pills continuously and use the sugar pills just a few times a year. So I went from having 4 periods a year to half a year of misery. There have also been two different cancer scares after age 25, as women with Endo are at an elevated risk of certain cancers but I will stop myself here before I start to get into the other no-so-pretty details.

But don’t think my life is always doom and gloom. My mother had two beautiful children and in the future, I will try and do the same. I have taken many precautionary measures to increase my chances of pregnancy (35% of Endo woman are infertile). Please don’t feel bad for me as there are women who have it worse. They were afraid to speak up and only when they try to have children find out that a hysterectomy is all they get. There is no cure for Endo, not even pregnancy or removal of all my reproductive organs will stop it as they still don’t know how it is caused. All I ask is that if you have experienced some of the symptoms please make sure to talk to your doctor, there is no need to suffer in silence; you are not alone.

Endo is simply a small hurdle that I must overcome every once and awhile. Know that I am not the disease – I am just a woman with Endometriosis who wanted to give you a brief inside look at my personal battle with my own body. I have Endometriosis, I live with my disease every day but it will never run my life.

Links to Endo:
Endometriosis Association
Endometriosis Research Center

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Well… this didn’t work out like I had planned. Here it is, February 29th (Happy Leap Day!) and I only made it half way through the photo challenge that I set up. This month I ended up having extreme difficulties at the dentist that took up most of my time, including weekends. While I won’t go into all the details, just know that it involves $1,000+, a dentist, a root canal, and a oral surgeon and after I thought it was all over, I still have a mouth in pain.

Anyway – so I didn’t get to write about how much I love my close friends, my Beachbody workout programs, my family that is there when I need them and when I think I don’t, my newest favorite web series “My Drunk Kitchen” which I found through another favorite Jenna Marbles (Mourey), how my current classes coincide with my future plans, new beauty products that have changed my life and well, the list can go on and on.

One thing this month HAS taught me is that I don’t take enough photos. Not that I need to take more of the big events or parties, but it is the average get together with family or friends that I really want to start documenting by taking pictures. Now my loved ones just have to learn to put up with me and my actions (sorry guys) of snapping these pics!

Next up – while many of you are thinking about March Madness that starts in a couple weeks, I am thinking about Endometriosis awareness month! I will forewarn you now to be prepared for more information than you probably want to know about a woman’s reproductive organs. There are many sites out there talking about the subject but I will put my (heaven forbid) positive spin on it!

Hope you all had a love fill February and awesome Leap Day!

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Even though laundry is considered a chore in most houses, OK, who am I to lie, it is one in mine too. But the outcome is so rewarding. One of my favorite things AFTER the laundry is done, is climbing into it a bed with clean sheets. It’s amazing how much time you spend in bed and how many people skimp out on bed sheets or a supportive bed. Do you know that you spend almost a third of your lifetime in bed? That is why I love my 350 thread count Egyptian cotton sateen sheets and there is nothing better then when they are freshly washed every week. While the duvet is always a struggle to get onto the comforter, I still look forward to the minute I get to crawl into bed and have my own clean sheet therapy. Sigh…. nighty night folks and sweet dreams. (PS – yes, those are my actual cleaning supplies that make my clothes and sheets smell so amazing)
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I have always been considered a small busted woman. While my lack of curves worked well for dancing and swimming I was envious of my friends and cousins who were blessed with a larger bust line. Imagine growing up with an aunt and cousins that were beautiful blondes with big boobs and hourglass figures and meanwhile I was shaped like a flat rectangle 2×4. As I got older I realized all the bonuses that went along with having a smaller chest that act like two suction cups stuck onto my body. I can run down the stairs without having to hold them or going braless on hot days and no one even noticing. Although I am surprising 32C (the importance of being properly measured) it is difficult to find my size. Even the famous Vitoria Secret doesn’t fit, I would actually be a 32D in their bras but I have found Bare Necessities online which has something for EVERY WOMAN in every price range and is the only place I buy my bras now. The whole reason I got on the subject of loving my body for what it is, I saw this on Jillian Michaels Facebook page and couldn’t help but laugh. The other photo is the back of a comic book that my Aunt Andi gave my mother back in the day and it makes me laugh too! No matter what size you have, big or small, I hope you learn to love your body that you were born with.
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So today I went into Target to buy a giant clock but struck out. All of them were boring, fancy or too small. As I made my way to the hardware/automotive area for metal washers I somehow stumbled into the seasonal section. Spring is just around the corner and this isle was filled with toys to reflect that. Bubbles, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk! There is something about timeless children’s toys that bring back fun filled memories. Toys have evolved and changed over the years but outside simplistic toys that require no batteries are fun for everyone of all ages. Which I think is the reason why I bought a hula hoop today! They no longer are made with beads but filled with water instead or they have LED lights that go round and round. I bought the basic water one and big enough for me to “jump rope” with. I could hula hoop in my living room rotating in either direction for hours…literally. I even participated in a contest for who could go the longest. I am loving that the sun is coming out to play more often the past week and until all the snow has melted I will be smiling inside hula hooping my little girl heart out!
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If you haven’t figured out already, I am not your stereotypical woman. I hate to go clothing and shoe shopping but take me gadget shopping, especially cleaning gadgets and I am in heaven. I have joked in the past that I am the one woman in the world that you could buy a vacuum cleaner as a birthday gift and could get the same reaction that most woman have from receiving jewelry! Now don’t get this idea that I live in an immaculate home or if you are envisioning Monica from friends who is a compulsive cleaner and can’t stand anything out of place, you are far from reality. But I do get excited about new cleaning products that make life easier and am always willing to try them out. This Scrubbing Bubbles product came out a few years ago but I think have tried everything on my current toilet and due to the bowl shape it never seemed to stay clean, until now. This has been a life saver and I haven’t had to scrub the toilet once since using the toilet cleaning gel! Yep – true love for cleaning product.
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I honestly think this is one of my favorite places in Denver. The Denver Performing Arts Complex – the worlds largest arts complex with ten performance spaces. Thursday my family and I went to see “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner”. It’s about an annual Seder dinner filled with politics, religion and other dark real life issues. It ended up being more intense than I thought but was still funny and worth going to. My mother already has tickets for us to see “The Book of Mormon” but I am hoping to see some other shows this year. Whether it is a play, comedy, musical or the ballet I always love the theater and take any chance to go.
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My Valentine’s Treat to myself today! It is funny to believe that at one time I despised Starbucks. Hated them-didn’t like the coffee and cringed anytime I received a gift card. I think it was because of how popular they had become, it was the brand to be seen with. But my hostility towards the company has changed and now I view them as a very rare special treat which I can barely afford. Love the option of sugar-free syrups! But I couldn’t justify spending $5.00 a day for coffee, even if it is espresso. Anyway – this big cup at 6:00AM really made me smile. Hopefully you felt the love today and if not, this is from me to you on this holiday click here XOXOXO
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